US President Barack Obama on Thursday proposed extending the decade-long term of FBI Director Robert Mueller by two years, saying continuity was critical to tackling terror threats.

FBI directors are limited by law to serving 10-year terms and their appointments must be confirmed by the Senate.

Mueller, appointed by former president George W. Bush in 2001, took over the Federal Bureau of Investigation a week before the September 11 attacks, which led to a wide-ranging global anti-terror campaign which has dominated his tenure.

“In his ten years at the FBI, Bob Mueller has set the gold standard for leading the bureau,” Obama said in a statement, adding the FBI chief “had impeccable law enforcement and national security credentials.”